From Baltimore Sun beat writer Jeff Zrebiec comes word that left-handed starter Brian Matusz has joined up with the Orioles and is likely to be activated for his 2011 regular season debut on Wednesday afternoon against the Mariners.

Matusz allowed just one run over five-plus innings Friday in his final rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk. He made three rehab appearances in all, posting a sparkling 1.20 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 10/4 K/BB ratio across 15 total minor league frames.

The 24-year-old southpaw has been on the disabled list since the start of the season with a badly strained left intercostal muscle.

“It’s been a long tough road,” Matusz said Saturday while unpacking his things. “The DL hasn’t been fun. If everything feels good, and it should feel good, I’m lined up to pitch Wednesday. That’s the plan. I’m really excited. Right now I’m still focusing on getting ready for Wednesday. I feel good today. I don’t feel as sore this time around as I did after the start in Bowie. There are a lot of emotions going on right now. It was a long trip cross-country. I’m just happy to be here in the clubhouse. I’m excited to get back in my old routine.”

Matusz registered a 7-3 record, a 3.63 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over his final 14 starts of the 2010 season. He should be able to throw around 100 pitches in his debut Wednesday against light-hitting Seattle.

Former Mets catcher Johnny Monell signed a contract with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization, per a report by Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The 30-year-old originally struck a deal with the NC Dinos on Thursday, but the deal appeared to fall through at the last minute, according to Cotillo’s unnamed source.

Monell last surfaced for the Mets during their 2015 run, batting a dismal .167/.231/.208 with two extra bases in 52 PA before the club DFA’d him to clear space for Bartolo Colon. While he’s had difficulty sticking at the major league level, he’s found a higher degree of success in the minor league circuit and holds a career .271 average over a decade of minor league play. He played exclusively in Triple-A Las Vegas during the 2016 season, slashing .276/.336/.470 with 19 home runs and a career-high 75 RBI in 461 PA.

The veteran backstop appears to be the second MLB player to join the KT Wiz roster this offseason, as right-hander Donn Roach also signed with the club last month on a one-year, $850,000 deal.

Brewers’ right-hander Phil Bickford received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a drug of abuse, per the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin. This is the second time Bickford has been suspended for recreational drug use, as he was previously penalized in 2015 after testing positive for marijuana prior to the amateur draft.

Bickford was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2015 draft and was later dealt to the Brewers for lefty reliever Will Smith at the 2016 trade deadline. He finished his 2016 campaign in High-A Brevard County, pitching to a 3.67 ERA, 10.0 K/9 rate and 5.0 BB/9 over 27 innings.

Two other suspensions were handed down on Friday, one to Toronto minor league right-hander Pedro Loficial for a positive test for metabolites of Stanozolol and one to Miami minor league outfielder Casey Soltis for a second positive test for drugs of abuse. Loficial will serve a 72-game suspension, while Soltis will serve 50 games. All three suspensions are due to start at the beginning of the 2017 season for each respective minor league team.

We are very disappointed to learn of Phil’s suspension, but we fully support the Minor League Baseball Drug Prevention and Testing Program and its enforcement by the Commissioner’s Office. Phil understands he made a mistake, and we fully anticipate that he will learn from this experience.